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Preston Goodplay's Good Play
"Preston Goodplay's Good Play" is the 7th episode of the fourth season of Camp Camp, and is the 47th episode overall. It premiered July 13th, 2019 on the on the RT FIRST site, and July 20th, 2019 on the the Rooster Teeth website. Official Synopsis Plot Out in the activities field, Gwen is reading a copy of "Sweaty Napes" magazine whilst the campers are in the midst of Juggling Camp. Space Kid throws his balls up in the air and lets them fall with an oblivious grin, while Harrison appears stunned that his handkerchiefs are floating above his head. Neil grows frustrated with the set of bowling pins he was meant to use, and says that Gwen should be instructing them. She says it isn't hard to "throw ball up, catch ball, repeat sequence", and Max agrees, though he is not holding anything. Nerris is successful in her attempts, saying that she knew adding a juggling proficiency (to herself) would pay off eventually. Nurf is impressed and tells her she should try juggling chainsaws, and revs one to life much to her horror. Preston sits on a wooden box with his arms folded, refusing to participate as "juggling is for common court jesters." David admires the wholesome art of ball tossing, "or as the French call it, 'La Jonglerie.'" Nurf laughs and says that 'jong' almost sounds like 'dong', thus it's comedic. Max asks how David knows French, but despite it being a "long and boring story" he reveals that "a long time ago, before nature nestled me against her bosom, I attended a clown school in Paris." Gwen remarks in surprise that she didn't know that, and David says it was a different time that he now refers to as "the dark years." Neil asks if David can juggle, and he proudly boasts that "back in my day, I could handle six balls at once! Does that answer your question?" and Max scoffs that it literally does. Nikki encourages him to perform and Max tosses him a set of balls, and while David says he's a bit rusty he effortlessly begins juggling anyway, stating that "camp is a judgement-free zone, after all." He begins hearing angry voices in his head speaking to him in French, and becomes so distraught that he drops his balls and falls onto the ground. The campers all burst out laughing and Preston immediately gets up and starts doing an exaggerated impression of the events he just witnessed. The campers laugh some more and encourage him to do it again, and this time David is seen getting up and chuckling at the antics as well. Max says that this is a performance he can get behind, Nurf claps bravo, and they all begin chanting that they want more. Inspired by their applause, Preston happily replies, "if you insist!" The next morning, as the campers are in the mess hall having pancakes, Preston hops up onto a table to cordially invite everyone to his latest theatrical production, premiering tonight. Nikki asks if it's about what she thinks it's about, and although he says he won't give spoilers he does say she'll fall in love with it immediately. Nurf is picking up what he's putting down, and Preston says that the production is a bit of a personal departure, but previews have been going well. Neil and Preston try to tease more info from him, but Preston mimes zipping his lip shut and declares that "hurricane Preston will devastate the camp with gale force winds of brilliance" before throwing a smoke bomb and bolting out the door. Opening night arrives thereafter, and Preston is peeking out from behind the curtain of the ampitheatre, face painted with red and white kabuki-style makeup. Seeing the crowd, he visibly starts hyperventilating, but tells Gwen he's just doing breathing exercises despite her pointing out that he is very obviously freaking out. Out in the bleachers, Max eagerly hopes that Preston will do the "Wacky Camp Counselor Guy" again, Nikki says she loves the part where the balls hit him on the head, and Nurf adds that he loves that his laughter causes his inner hatred to be silent for a moment. The curtain opens to Quartermaster playing the cello and Preston sitting on the ground, then he stands up and begins a dramatic soliloquy on the meaning of gravity. Max shouts "do the camp guy!", Neil adds that he doesn't want anymore "mental masturbation" and that they came to laugh. Preston continues his soliloquy but when Nikki begins chanting "balls, balls, balls," he caves to the pressure and puts on the over-exaggerated impression of David again, prompting an uproar of laughter from the crowd. Even David is amused, saying that "this character is such a card!" A short montage of similar performances ensue, showing Preston in various costumes such as a caveman juggling coconuts, a pirate juggling cannonballs, and a robot juggling gears. Each performance ends with the objects falling and hitting him on the head. He's also shown being swarmed by his fans at the mess hall, sitting in bathtub filled with pink bubbles whilst smoking a pipe and writing a script on a typewriter, and sitting at a table autographing black-and-white portraits of himself. Nurf does an impression of Preston's impression and he gives a forced smile and thumbs-up in response, he is also shown agonizing over a large board filled with costumed performance ideas, and finally the montage ends with Preston bowing at the crowd as they applaud and compliment his acting chops. Quartermaster audibly wonders if he left the microwave on. Sitting in his dressing room in a cowboy outfit at the end of another show, Preston begins talking to his reflection on the right, saying that the audience loves him, "so what are you so glum about?" A mirror to his left declares that he's glum about "this drivel", which surprises right-mirror Preston as things have been successful, to which left-mirror Preston's rebuttal is that "these simpletons adore sucking mindless opiate from the teat of their foolish master. I DO NOT!" Right-mirror Preston says that this is the most popular they've ever been, and that the cost of the unhappiness is fame because this situation has grown bigger than both of them. Left-mirror Preston says that this is beneath them, and that they strive to stand among artistic legends like "Hadad and McG". Preston and his right-side reflection fold their arms and call the left side jealous, and while the left reflection reacts angrily, Preston does not. Right-mirror accuses left-mirror of never being supportive and to go away, and Dolph (who had appeared behind Preston) happily replies that he will do so, although he just wanted to drop off a congratulatory floral bouquet and tell him "uber cool show!" Preston and his reflections screech at Dolph to get out, which he promptly does. Left-side mirror is seen acting independently again as he calls right-side a hack. Preston and the right-side reflection stand up and deny this, saying he must give the people what they want, and storms off stage-right. Left-side reflection, still in the mirror despite the room being empty, puts a hand up to his chin and smiles. Preston walks out onto the stage, surprised to see Nerris, Nikki, Nurf, Max, Dolph, and Neil already sitting on the benches, and tells them he's only here to run rehearsals. Max says that they came to help, with Nikki adding they want to get a glimpse into his "process". He agrees with slight reluctance, and upon starting some dialogue about a "cold June day", Max immediately hums his disapproval. Preston asks what that means, to which Max wonders "if Wacky Counselor couldn't be even wackier this time around?" Preston sighs and starts the "hey look at me" of Wacky Camp Counselor, but Nikki cuts in to say that despite it being fun it isn't working for her, as that isn't the "voice" she imagined him having. Preston suggests they save the feedback for the end of the show, and Nikki agrees before calling "ACTION!" Before he can even restart the dialogue Nurf yells "CUT!" and walks onto the stage, saying that as an audience member, he has to care about Wacky Camp Counselor if he's going to care about the balls hitting him on the head. Neil crawls up onto the stage as well and says he sees WCC as more of a "misunderstood intellectual type." Nerris offers a script for him to read, saying that in her headcanon Wacky Camp Counselor was born on the wings of a giant eagle, and Dolph starts saying something about aesthetics. Preston suddenly starts spiraling, with the voices of everyone's feedback swirling around him, and he promptly faints. He dreams of himself falling through the clouds and down into the trees before waking up in the mess hall, greeted by the scene of a a geriatric version of himself performing another rendition of Wacky Camp Counselor dropping his balls for an equally-as-old crowd of Nikki, Neil, Max, and Nerris. He asks what's happening, Old Preston says that this is his future, but he protests that his future is on Broadway, "or in the dazzling world of audio books." Old Preston says he is doomed to be the king of low-brow memes instead, but Preston denies this, saying that he challenges peoples' "head brains." The old coot blows his nose into a pair of $100 bills and says, "the uterus of time has a way of changing a person", to which Preston replies he is not - and will never be - the vision before him. Old Preston laughs and says they are indeed the same; sellouts, and this causes him and the audience to turn and laugh cruelly at him. Preston screams and covers his eyes, only to wake up in Dolph's medical tent. The previous audience of campers are all in the tent as well, their concern replaced with relief as he wakes. They tell him he fainted, giving them quite a fright, and Nurf adds that the incident caused Preston to pee himself as well. Preston is touched that they're all here, Max says that "we were worried sick... worried that we wouldn't get the chance to see another Wacky Camp Counselor play tonight!" and the relief comes to a screeching halt. Nikki asks if they can get a quick show before the morphine kicks in, which prompts Preston to pull off his blanket and rip out his catheter before bolting out into the woods, screaming to be left alone. Max asks why Dolph had put in a catheter, and he simply shrugs in response. In his panic, Preston comes across the window of the counselors' cabin, and his reflection laughs mockingly at him. He also sees the taunting reflection in a puddle and in Space Kid's helmet, causing him to grow even more distraught with each one. He flails his arms as he screeches through the woods, then pulls out a cardboard dagger and dramatically puts a hand up to his forehead, saying "oh happy dagger, this is thy sheath!" intending (while pretending) to stab himself. David is sitting on a log nearby and greets him, saying they're just a pair of "thinky-thinks." Preston puts the dagger away and lies that he too came out here to think. David pats a spot on the log beside him and offers to let the camper share his thoughts. Preston takes a seat, his head hanging down, and says that fame is a fickle mistress. David agrees, as he was voted "le plus susceptible de jongler avec ses balaises" at clown school, but does not clarify what this translates to. Preston feels like he's just going through the motions to try and stay relevant, "and for what?!" David says that while the campers believe he has this "impenetrable tough-guy exterior" - which causes Preston to stare in disbelief - he's actually a vulnerable cat underneath. "You just have to do the thing that makes you happy. Nature called me and I answered; what's calling you?" After taking a moment of pause, he asks about what the audience wants, and David tells him the audience will respond to his passion, as it's his art, so he should explore the character and tell a story worth telling. Inspired, Preston says that David is right, and apologizes for basing the Wacky Camp Counselor character on him. David says he never realized it, but he is honored. Preston thanks him and runs off, leaving David to scoff at the idea of him being a wacky camp counselor. Later that evening, the camp has gathered at the ampitheatre once more, and Max is shown holding a playbill titled "The Uterus of Time". He says he's happy to get some more Wacky Camp Counselor in his life, and Nurf agrees as it's been "a dark night of the soul" without him. The curtain opens to a backdrop of a city and Quartermaster playing the bongos, which he accidentally tears with his hook hand. Preston walks onto the stage to set the scene of New York City 1985, and the audience blinks in collective bewilderment. The play takes him across several settings and costumes, such as a tribal outfit on the river, a soldier in a war-torn jungle, and a British character with Harrison's hat and oversized scarf. The play ends with 4 confetti cannons going off as he poses triumphantly on the stage, and after a moment of pause the audience erupts into booing and throwing tomatoes. Max leaves, saying "welp, that dumb character ran its course." Left-side mirror Preston is seen giving Preston a slow clap, and the real Preston is bolstered by this response. Gwen flatly congratulates him on the four-hour run time of his play, and promptly turns and leaves, expressing her desire to go to bed. Preston thanks David again for the advice, but David sheepishly apologizes in return, as his advice had garnered the campers' scorn. He says that David taught him that the art wasn't worth making if it wasn't something he enjoyed doing, and a tomato hits him on the side of the head. "Plus, any reaction - positive or negative - is still a reaction!" David gently presses his index fingers together, nodding uncertainly in agreement as Preston is pelted with three more tomatoes. Quartermaster comes by and scoops one up, saying "tomato stew ain't gonna make itself." Transcript would go here. Features Characters Main Characters * Preston Goodplay * David Supporting Characters * Max * Gwen Minor Characters * Neil * Nikki * Dolph * Harrison * Nerris * Nurf * Ered * Space Kid * Quartermaster Music * "Camp Camp Song Song" (Opening Theme) * "Wacky Credit Rap Guy" (Ending Theme) Gallery Trivia * Nerris is shown juggling 4 balls that are yellow, white, purple, and black. These are, in order, the color scheme of the non-binary pride flag, and although some may think it's coincidental, the specific color scheme makes it very possible that Nerris identifies as non-binary. ** This is further justified that despite being a human female, she says she prefers to identify as elf-kin in "Eggs Benefits". * One of the angry French voices that David hears while juggling says "maladroit", which translates to "clumsy". This hints at him not being a very good juggler, though he seems to do alright in front of the campers before the fear takes over. ** Additionally, he later tells Preston that he was voted "le plus susceptible de jongler avec ses balaises," which roughly translates to "the most likely to juggle with their brooms." Broom handles are often used for juggling newbies due to their larger size, so he was essentially voted "least likely to succeed" at clown school. Despite this, and being able to speak French fluently, he agrees with Preston's statement that fame is fickle, which means that he either didn't understand their criticism or chose not to take it that way. ** Since he's now working as a camp counselor and refers to his time in Paris as "the dark years", it's safe to say that David totally flunked out of clown school. It is currently unknown as to what else he may have gotten up to during this time frame. * The reflection of the left-side mirror in Preston's dressing room is often seen moving of its own accord, while the reflection on the right always moves with Preston. Although this is meant to have the dramatic effect of both the comedy and tragedy masks of Greek theatrical fame, given that there are supernatural elements to the show it is also quite possible that the left-side mirror may be possessed in some way. ** During the "Camp Waffle Watch-Along" live stream for the season 4 finale, Jordan Cwierz mentions that he regrets cutting a great joke from left-mirror Preston the end of that scene due to time constraints: "I'd drink his bath water." This is a reference to the bizarre Belle Delphine gamer-girl bathwater saga that took place during the summer of 2019. ** Jordan also states that this discussion with Preston and the two mirrors is his favorite moment of the entire fourth season. * If you zoom in extra close, one can see that the script Nerris offers for Preston to read is actually a script for this episode. * The final character of Preston's final performance - an English character with a tophat and scarf - is actually wearing Harrison's tophat, as it is clearly missing from his head when Preston moves into the audience. * This is the first and only episode to not include any type of swear word in the dialogue whatsoever, even the tamer ones such as "hell" and "damn". **This is the second episode without the F-word in it, the first being "Who Peed the Lake". * This is Preston's 3rd major role since "Romeo & Juliet II: Love Resurrected" and "NIGHT OF THE LIVING ILL" and his first major role with Nicholaus Weindel as his voice actor. * This episode may be representative as to what show/story creators have to deal with from the audience their story/show has to face, with everyone representing something. ** Preston representing the creator. ** The rest of the campers as the audience/fandom. ** David being the one person to help others during hard times. ** Gwen and Quartermaster being people who may watch/read it, but don't really care about it as much. 'Cultural References' * In Preston's first official theater performance of "Wacky Camp Counselor", he is wearing Kabuki makeup, which is an ancient Japanese style of makeup meant to create dramatic flair. * When Preston is being swarmed at the mess hall, Dolph is holding a red book titled "Mein Kamp", which is a very clear reference to the "Mein Kampf" book; the title of Hitler's biography. * Preston's desire to stand among artistic legends such as "Hadad" may possibly reference a woman named Astrid Hadad, who is most famously known for her all-female adaptation of Mozart's opera. The other artistic legend he references is "McG", whose real name is Joseph McGinty Nichol, and his productions include such titles as Charlie's Angels, Terminator: Salvation, and Supernatural (to name a few). * The "oh happy dagger" made of cardboard and dialogue is a reference to the final scene of the play Romeo and Juliet, in which Juliet stabs herself after finding Romeo dead. It also bears a bit of a resemblance to Daniel's gouging knife from "Cult Camp", "Arrival of the Torso Takers" and "Camp Loser Says What?". 'Continuity' * David reveals that he attended a clown school in Paris prior to working at Camp Campbell. This backstory was somewhat hinted at in "The Lake Lilac Summer Social", where he had given himself a full face of clown makeup in an attempt to encourage the kids to do some face painting and liven up the party. ** Interestingly, in "Time Crapsules" is it revealed that David wanted to grow up to be a camp counselor, but chose to attend the clown school for a few years first. At the end of this episode, it's hinted that part of the reason why he left the school was because of nature calling to him. In "Gwen Gets a Job", David also states that "I'm lucky that I'm already where I want to be. Working at Camp Campbell is all I've ever dreamed of." * The "Mein Kamp" book that Dolph was holding in this episode was also shown in the Teaser Trailer. * Upon Preston's large board of ideas, a flyer can be seen with an article titled "Director seeks child actors in remake spin-off of 'Hamilton' (parts of the title are obscured but given the lettering this seems right). Preston has revealed a love for Hamilton in the episode "NIGHT OF THE LIVING ILL". ** Also seen are a few other titles, including a few jabs at theatrical tropes ("Modern major general models for cash", "Broadway theater gags fall", and "Cardboard backdrop shortage: Sondheim speaks out"). * Quartermaster is heard asking "Did I leave the microwave on?", referencing his distrust in microwaves that was shown in "Dial M For Jasper", as he believes they record people's conversations, which turned out to be true when Ered's dads decided to spy on people trough their microwaves in the same episode. * Dolph's medical tent makes a return, previously seen in "Nikki's Last Day on Earth". * This is the second episode in which Preston directly references the play Romeo and Juliet, with his "oh happy dagger" moment. The first was the very detailed sequel that he wrote in the episode "Romeo & Juliet II: Love Resurrected". * David does offer very insightful and inspiring advice to Preston, which he happily takes to heart even when the audience turns on him. The speech he offers has a similar tone to the one he gave about breakups in "Bonjour Bonquisha". * Despite totally mislabeling himself as an "impenetrable tough-guy" here, he was painfully aware of the fact that he's not tough enough to run a bootcamp in a previous episode "David Gets Hard". He may believe he's actually developed this trait since that episode. * The desk with the left-side mirror from this episode can be seen in the background of "Party Pooper" during the moment where Gwen tells her dad she doesn't care if everyone thinks she's a party pooper. * The bucket that Quartermaster uses to collect the tomatoes has the words "pigs' blood" crossed out and replaced with "tomatoes". He used this very same bucket (without the words being scratched out) in the episode "The Quarter-Moon Convergence". ** Said bucket also makes a reappearance in "The Butterfinger Effect", this time having both previous labels repainted and being used for collecting potatoes. 'Errors' * In the brief moment of left-side mirror Preston clapping, there is no mirror on the right-hand side of the desk, when there were clearly two mirrors earlier.